Pro-pooch representative wants to bring dogs back to patios

Our pups may soon be able to legally bask in the sun of a patio while we sip on cold beers and mow on poutine.

Sure, dogs can be slobbery and hairy and sometimes just plain disgusting but we love them nonetheless. The talk around town recently has been about how Ohio’s health code prohibits dogs from chilling on restaurant/bar patios. The real gravity of this ban is that the popular “Pups on the Patio” events are actually illegal. There is not one, but two petitions circulating to fight that.

But soon the Health Department may rue the day they banned doggies if Republican Representative Laura Lanese gets her way. She wants to ease up the code around here to allow businesses to decide for themselves whether or not to allow dogs in outdoor dining areas. Lanese introduced House Bill 263 shortly titled, “Allow dogs in restaurant outdoor dining areas.”

New York City, Denver, California, and Chicago all allow it. Damn, even the State up North lets our furry friends hang on patios.

Any change to the health code will have to come from the state level. The next step for the Bill is to be assigned to a committee where concerns can be hashed out.

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